Brockton car break-in victim waited three hours, but police never came

Friday

May 23, 2014 at 6:00 AMMay 23, 2014 at 6:05 PM

Brockton chief says, “three hours really would be too long for a person who thinks there is a police car coming”

Benjamin Paulin The Patriot Ledger @BPaulin_Ledger

BROCKTON – After waiting over three hours for Brockton Police to come to her house, Samantha Jacobs said she got fed up and drove to the station herself.

Her car had been broken into and the window was smashed out. She called police around 10:30 a.m., Saturday and waited three hours for the police, who never showed up.

“I ended up not waiting for them to come. I drove my car to the police station because they didn’t respond,” Jacobs, 20, said. “When I got there the officer that was there told me I should have waited.”

Her car was parked outside her house on Grove Street when the break-in occurred. Inside the 2001 Chevy Impala her new stereo was gone, part of the dashboard had been torn off and her wallet was missing.

In the meantime, the thief had used her debit card to try and make three purchases in the city, two of which were declined after she called her bank to cancel her card.

She said called the department twice while she waited but was told police were responding to other calls.

Jacobs said she understands her situation would be low on the list of priorities for Brockton Police, but she feels that three hours is too long to wait for someone to come take a report.

“My mom made it all the way from Weymouth and waited an hour with me,” she said. “I have things to do. I can’t wait around all day for them to come and take a report.”

She was also upset about the reception she got when she went to the station.

She said a female officer went out and “looked at the car for two seconds” and then told her to pick up the police report on Monday.

Jacobs said she contacted Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office about the incident.

Police Chief Robert Hayden said he began investigating the matter Thursday and would continue to do so on Friday.

"The preliminary review that I've done on this incident, I find that the police have done nothing wrong. Brockton is a very busy city and other calls have to be handled first," Hayden said.

He did say that, "three hours really would be too long for a person who thinks there is a police car coming" and that he would be willing to meet with Jacobs to discuss the incident.

Hayden also defended the officer who took the report at the station.

"She's the officer that you would want to come to your home and take a report. She's top-notch," he said.

Lt. Paul Bonanca said Thursday he did not know about incident involving Jacobs but said emergency calls are prioritized over non-emergency situations.

"Domestic violence, crimes of violence, car accidents with injuries, etc., are calls that take time to complete and contribute to delays," Bonanca said.

"Delays do occur depending on whatever situations are occurring in the city at that time," he said. "Residents have historically been accepting of delays when they are notified on the phone of such a delay, which call takers attempt to do."

Jacobs’ window has not yet been fixed. She said the window would cost about $120 to replace and her insurance company wanted a $500 deductible to cover the loss.

Jacobs, a student at Massasoit Community College, is currently unemployed and her boyfriend is working to save money to pay for a new window out of pocket. In the meantime, she using tape and plastic to cover the open space.

“I know it’s not someone dying, but it is still a crime,” she said. “They should have come and taken the report a lot faster (and) not tell me that they had better things to do because that doesn’t make you feel safe. It makes you feel like the police don’t even care.”